Data Center Moratoriums: New York Pauses the AI Buildout
On July 14, 2026, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed Executive Order No. 62, creating the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers by pausing discretionary environmental permits for up to a year while the state drafts a Generic Environmental Impact Statement. The pause follows a collapse in local consent: Data Center Watch recorded at least 75 projects worth roughly $130 billion blocked or delayed in Q1 2026 alone, nearly matching all of 2025, with opposition groups more than doubling across 49 states. Gallup found seven in ten Americans oppose an AI data center locally, 48% strongly. Underlying grievances are documented: data centers may reach 12% of US electricity by 2028, large sites use up to 5 million gallons of water daily, and 80% of surveyed Virginia municipalities had NDAs with developers. Maine's own moratorium died by a failed veto override in April.
